Blaine Swen's one-man improvised musical BASH was among the highlights at Day 1; be sure to catch as much as possible of the Del Close Improv Marathon

Tonight’s recommendation for the best in New York City comedy is:

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] All Day Today and Sunday ($25): One of the most magical events in NYC, the annual Del Close Improv Marathon runs continuously from 4:30 pm yesterday until after midnight on Sunday, August 1st. Groups from all around the US and Canada—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Austin, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Montreal, and more—will perform over 150 shows, typically in 30 minute blocks, for 55+ hours. Tickets are a mere $25 for the entire weekend—an incredible bargain. Paul Scheer said several years ago the appropriate charge would be around $600, and he mostly wasn’t kidding. As in past years, the only down side will be way more patrons than available space, causing long waits to get into the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street, which seats about 150. However, the congestion will be somewhat eased by three additional venues just a couple of blocks from UCBT: The Hudson Guild Theatre at 441 West 26th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), which seats 99; Urban Stages at 259 West 30th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), which seats 74; and the Fashion Institute of Technology Kate Murphy Amphitheatre at corner West 27th Street & 7th Avenue, which seats 280. This is one of the finest comedy events in the country, always magical, and flat-out should not be missed.

Highlights from the 12 hours I spent at the festival yesterday included:

The Improvised Shakespeare Company taking the suggestion “hope” to craft a play about royal serial killing, unending senseless war, and the highest body count of the Marathon…for which the audience rewarded the troupe with a standing ovation.

ISC’s founder Blaine Swen demonstrating he can do anything by performing a one-man improvised musical with an inventiveness, skillfulness, and depth that was breathtaking…and garnered the only other standing ovation of the Marathon.

The wonderful Bobby Moynihan (cast member of Saturday Night Live) tap-dancing on a talk show hosted by the also wonderful Horatio Sanz.

Many of the finest improvisors at UCBT—led by rising star John Gemberling—wearing nothing but diapers to perform as whiny babies.

Another group of top NYC improvisors pretending to be Bostonians who continually cursed the Yankees, drank beer, and sprayed copious amounts of beer on the audience.

Several shows that didn’t pan out but tickled us with their concepts, including Jane Austen-era improvisors, hillbilly improvisors, and a small army of Jay Leno impersonator improvisors.

The guys of the Upright Citizens Brigade—Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh—announcing that they and Artistic Director Anthony King will be opening a new NYC theatre in January 2011 named UCB-EAST—on 3rd Street off Avenue A (where the Two Boots indie film theater used to be)—and that its focus will be on stand-up to complement the Chelsea theatre’s focus on improv.

There are other comedy events happening tonight; but they pale in comparison.

The spectacular annual Del Close Improv Marathon, running continuously this entire weekend and hosting over 150 shows, will attract most of the finest improv talent in the county—and should not be missed

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] 4:30 pm Friday – Midnight Sunday ($25): One of the most magical events in NYC, the annual Del Close Improv Marathon runs continuously from 4:30 pm today until after midnight on Sunday, August 1st. Groups from all around the US and Canada—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Austin, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Montreal, and more—will perform over 150 shows, typically in 30 minute blocks, for 55+ hours. Tickets are a mere $25 for the entire weekend—an incredible bargain. Paul Scheer said several years ago the appropriate charge would be around $600, and he mostly wasn’t kidding. As in past years, the only down side will be way more patrons than available space, causing long waits to get into the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street, which seats about 150. However, the congestion will be somewhat eased by the use of three additional venues just a couple of blocks from UCBT: The Hudson Guild Theatre at 441 West 26th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), which seats 99; Urban Stages at 259 West 30th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), which seats 74; and the Fashion Institute of Technology Kate Murphy Amphitheatre at corner West 27th Street & 7th Avenue, which seats 280. This is one of the finest comedy events in the country, always magical, and flat-out should not be missed. (I’m listing other comedy events happening tonight, but almost grudgingly…) Come experience the awe, mystery, and hilarity of The 12 Annual Del Close Marathon

7:00 pm ($8): Corinne Fisher performing a one-woman show that details how to keep tabs on someone with whom you’re obsessed: I Stalk You

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($10): Always fresh and imaginative world-class sketch troupe that uses song, movement, and clever scenarios to turn familiar rituals on their head (for a video about awkward goodbyes at the end of a party, please click here): The Harvard Sailing Team

10:00 pm ($7): Singing improvisors who use an interview with an audience member to craft The Made-Up Musical

There are just three NYC performances left this year of the greatest improv troupe in the world: The Improvised Shakespeare Company

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

[TOP PICK] 6:00 pm ($5): Hosts John Frusciante and Will Hines tape their podcast live on stage, with tonight’s guest a living legend: UCBT Podcast with Matt Walsh

[TOP PICK] 7:00 pm ($12): A news-based show with comedy games and funny conversation hosted by by Faith Salie (CBS Sunday Morning) with writer/producer Gideon Evans (The Daily Show), writer/commentator Alison Rosen (McSweeney’s, podcastAlison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend), and more: The News Distillery

7:30 pm ($5): Sharp improvisors directed by James Eason “take an audience suggestion and break it into a million funny pieces,” and veteran improvisors play with “elements of monoscene, deconstruction, and La Ronde,” in the double-bill The Deconstruction and Sleepover

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): A Chicago-based troupe that’s wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($5): UCBT-LA’s late night sketch/music variety show performing for one evening only here in NYC. Come catch a small army of young talent at The Midnight Show

[$] 8:00 pm ($35 & 2-drink min.): One of the cast members of the seminal In Living Color headlining tonight through Sunday at Carolines: Tommy Davidson

[TOP PICK] 9:00 pm ($12): Top stand-ups Todd Barry and Myq Kaplan (it’s more than worth the price of admission if Todd spends even a minute dissecting Myq’s current starring role on Last Comic Standing), and more performing at 92Y Tribeca’s Comedy Below Canal

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. There are three NYC performances left—tonight at the Hudson Guild Theatre, Friday at 7:00 pm atFIT, and Saturday at 7:15 pm as part of the spectacular Del Close Improv Marathon—with each evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): The wonderful Matt Besser, who’s a founding member of the world-renowned and enormously influential Upright Citizens Brigade, is joined by such equally brilliant comics as Horatio Sanz (SNL, ABC) and Chris Gethard (star of Comedy Central’s upcoming Big Lake) for a very special annual show in which top comics live out their roadie fantasies by impersonating favorite musicians and performing their songs at The Greatest Concert Ever

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $10 marked with $) include:

6:30 pm & 9:00 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours—with two installments running back to back every Wednesday at John Morrison’s Ochi’s Motel

[TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): A Chicago-based troupe that’s wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($19.33 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): John Oliver (star correspondent of The Daily Show and genius stand-up comic) and assorted other stand-ups performing at a show hosted by Daily Show Executive Producer Rory Albanese at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: The Daily Show and Friends with John Oliver

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. There are three NYC performances left—tonight and Thursday at the Hudson Guild Theatre, and Friday at FIT—with each evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Comedy legends Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh (co-founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade) are joined by UCBT stars for a live Sirius/XM Satellite Radio broadcast: Radio Underground

[TOP PICK] [FREE] 11:00 pm: Host Justin Purnell (The Colbert Report) providing as many as a dozen guests packed into 75 minutes performing stand-up, improv, sketch, and occasionally acts that defy categorization. The level of talent can vary wildly, but for some (like me), that’s part of the laid-back fun; and this is often one of the most amazing comedy shows in town. Come support the experimentation, and periodic magical surprises, that this uniquely organic rollercoaster of a show makes possible—and don’t forget to toss $1 in the bucket on your way out: School Night

Comedy genius Blaine Swen performs tonight through Thursday at the Hudson Guild Theatre with his all-star Improvised Shakespeare Company

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight begins a week-long NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): A Chicago-based troupe that’s wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Improv veterans welcome UCBT students at all levels to perform with them at The Lottery

[FREE] 11:00 pm: Free open-mic stand-up show that’s seldom much fun for audience members but is a nice opportunity if you want 4-5 minutes to test out your comedy material on stage: Bring It

The beginning of a week of blowout comedy tonight features Jennifer Coolidge delivering a breathtaking stand-up set at Comix...

...the smartest & funniest comedy improv troupe in the world kicking off a spectacular week-long run in NYC to help pave the way for this weekend's legendary Del Close Marathon: The Improvised Shakespeare Company...

...and legendary improvisor Matt Besser joining such other genius comics as John Mulaney and Chris Gethard at Whiplash

Tonight’s recommendations for the best in New York City comedy (in chronological order, with top picks noted and shows over $12 marked with $) include:

[FREE] 6:00 pm: Kevin Allison (legendary MTV sketch series The State, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, host of award-winning storytelling show Risk!) hosts this free open-mic show for storytellers, in which you can put your name in a hat for the chance to tell a five-minute true story…and if it’s a good one, possibly be included in Kevin’s popular podcasts on the Web: Risk! Storyslam

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 7:00 pm ($17.50 online with discount code NIFF): My #1 pick for the2007 FringeNYC Festival, this wonderful group of actresses/improvisors portray characters as if they were in a play, but improvise everything they say and do. The luminous performers include Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg, and Lauren Seikaly, each of whom is immensely appealing and quick-witted. Further, they have an intimate, lovely chemistry with each other; and they’ve all committed to baring their personal lives, thinly disguised via their characters (hence the title’s Naked). As a result, this is one of the most honest and nuanced improvised shows you’ll ever see. Check out some videos of previous episodes here; and then nab tickets for tonight’s eighth installment at the Soho Playhouse of a 10-week Monday night run: Naked in a Fishbowl

7:30 pm (no cover, 1-item min.): The perfect show for short attention spans—open-mic stand-up with 4½ minutes per set and 25 comics crammed into 2½ hours at the Luca Lounge (222 Avenue B off 14th Street)—at John Morrison’s Motel Luca

[MEGA-TOP PICK] 8:00 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door—but buy in advance, because every performance will sell out): Genius improvisors from Chicago delivering one of the funniest shows you’ll ever see by making up a play on the spot using the language and themes of the Bard. This is the finest improv troupe in the world, and one of the best comedy shows of any kind, anywhere. Tonight begins a week-long NYC run, with every evening utterly different from the last. Try to catch every single performance of the breathtakingly skilled Improvised Shakespeare Company

[MEGA-TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): Last night, at a sold-out event at the Comix Comedy Club, an improvisor/actress best known as Stifler’s mom in the American Pie movies and a variety of oddball characters in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films—and who once candidly observed “I like going back and doing a sequel; it’s the only chance to really ask for some money”—demonstrated that in addition to being great on film, she’s one of most razor-sharp, charming, and flat-out hilarious stand-ups in the biz. Don’t miss this extra chance to experience an extraordinary comic that—who knew?—was born to perform on a live stage and can do anything comedic: Jennifer Coolidge

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($12.90 online, $12 at the door): A Chicago-based troupe that’s wowed audiences around the world with their skill at creating a completely improvised hour-long musical. The plot and characters, the musical accompaniment; even the song lyrics and the “choreography” are made up on the spot, with no pre-planned structure. Come see why BWC won a FringeNYC Award last August for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event at the magical Baby Wants Candy

[TOP PICK] 9:30 pm ($5): Michael Patrick O’Brien (staff writer for Saturday Night Live) performs a one-show show that begins with his trying to break a randomly selected Guinness World Record “using only a small bag of props and the advice of audience members,” followed by “an inspired sort of looniness,”at Shatter

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn’t match with months of labored writing. Tonight is the finale of their four-evening run at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 8:00 pm ($24.78 online if you use code VIPJULY, plus 2-item minimum): An improvisor/actress best known as Stifler’s mom in the American Pie movies and a variety of oddball characters in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films—and who once candidly observed “I like going back and doing a sequel; it’s the only chance to really ask for some money”—will now be demonstrating her stand-up chops headlining tonight and Monday at the elegant Comix Comedy Club: Jennifer Coolidge

[TOP PICK] [$] [DISCOUNTED] 10:00 pm ($15 online using discount code IMPROV): Chicago-based TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are widely considered among the finest long-form improvisors alive. Just by feeling their way through moment by moment, they create one-hour tales that most authors couldn’t match with months of labored writing. Tonight is the second of their four-evening run—through this Monday—at The Barrow Street Theatre: TJ & Dave